Friday, August 1, 2008

Scientists from the University of Wyoming have found three species of sucker fish have hybridized to form a new, third species that they call the "muttsucker."

Muddy Creek, where the survey was conducted, had two native species of suckerfish. The flannelmouth sucker and the bluehead sucker coexisted, but were isolated by reproductive barriers. Then the white sucker was introduced into the area, and was able to crossbreed with both species. The resulting muttsucker incorporates genes from all three species.

It's a shocking display of the impact that introducing non-native life to a marine environment can have. You may already know about the problem with zebra mussels in the Great Lakes region. And remember when those amphibious snakehead fish started showing up in the U.S.? Bad news.

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About Me

I'm Stanley! Part-time pundit and opinionated pedestrian, I use this blog to shine a spotlight on unsung breakthroughs. What's an unsung breakthrough? Well, if you read about it on MSNBC or see it on television, then it probably won't end up here.